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Monday, 17 December 2012

When I first started looking into buying an Amiga, I found that there
were plenty of different models to choose from, and so I had to do a fair bit
of research at the time about each model and reading up on the history of
Commodore and the Amiga range of computers, all of which was fascinating and
made me hunger more for one of these old machines.

Then, as if waking from an amnesia type brain freeze, I remembered that
I already had one, an A2000 sitting in the shed, along with a tone of software.
Damn my ineptitude and complete lack of foresight! Trust me to store a great
computer in a damp, dusty, cobweb filled shed instead of storing it somewhere
proper and safe from the environmental effects that could kill an electrical
device off faster than the main man Chuck Norris. It wasn’t a machine I had in
my youth, nor one that me or my parents bought at the time it was on the
market, but it’s a system I acquired and messed about with until I ran out of
space to store it. Yet I wasn’t into retro gaming at the time, and I knew
little if anything about the Amiga or its significance, so in the shed it went.

Of course I was kicking myself when I rescued it from the damp shed, as
I was becoming strongly entrenched in retro gaming, and enjoying plenty of
games and systems from my youth, and having a blast on old games as well as the
latest and greatest a modern system could offer. But would it still work
though, that was the question, would the A2000 still fire up after all these
years in the shed? After taking the cover off and inspecting the insides,
everything looked ok, the ribbons connecting all the drives looked a little
worse for ware, but everything else seemed ok. Lucky for me it fired up, and
after turning it on and off more times than I care to remember the hdd
eventually kicked in and Workbench appeared, as you can imagine, I was relieved,
more so than a vegetarian being told that what they were eating was in fact quorn
balls and not hairy cows bollocks dipped in gravy.

Though the A2000 still worked and Workbench fired up, the machine had
still taken a hit: the floppy drives had bit the dust, they damaged one floppy
disk then didn’t want to work, and the ribbons looked in a state of serious
decay. So even though the system still lived on, it needed some serious TLC,
something of which it wouldn’t need if I had looked after it properly in the
first place.

Well 4 years later and I’m still in the process of doing my Amga 2000
up, I got as far as replacing the two floppy drives and a drive ribbon, but that’s
about it, but now, with the system in a permanent place under my TV, I’m ready
to start refurbishing the system again. Late last year I did strip the system down,
and clean the whole thing from top to bottom, all boards, the case,
connections, everything. I was even pleased to find that the clock battery had
not leaked onto the main board (something which I thought had happened,) and so
on the advise of others, I de-soldered it from the main board as the big box
Amiga’s suffer from clock battery leakage, and this has the potential to kill
the system.

One unforeseen side effect though was that when removing the main board
from the system, which was a complete pain, and in hindsight was a two man job,
some of the legs on the second mouse port snapped away from the board. It was
far to awkward to re-solder them back on as there were other components in the
way, so I wouldn’t have been able to get to the legs in question, so after
careful thought, I decided to remove joystick port 2 completely. The plan was
to solder wires from the main board to the corresponding legs, this I managed
to do, but it was a sloppy job and the wires eventually came loose. So recently
I tackled the problem again, but this time I bought a D-Sub9 connector and some
soldering flux and it worked a treat. I re-soldered wires back onto the main
boards D-Sub9 joystick port 2 connections, planned the route around the board I
wanted the wires to take and used insulator tape to stick them down so they
wouldn’t move, then soldered the wires onto the D-Sub9 and popped that into a
back port plate. So now I plug a controller into the back of the A2000 where
port 2 is newly located.

I basically did what I had to do to save joystick port 2 and get it
working, as many Amiga games take advantage of controllers and joysticks, but
through the second port, and so if that’s out of action, it’ll make it very
awkward to play many games. Upon looking at it it’s a bit of a ‘what in the
Frankenstein’s monster!?’ But my A2000 isn’t getting any younger and over time
things break, so I have done what I needed to do to keep the machine going,
it’s not the best solution, but it works, that’s the important thing.

As time marches on and we all continue to use these ageing machines way
past their intended usage, its inevitable that things will break or stop
working and repairs will have to be carried out. Some will be repairable,
others won’t, it’s just the way things go, and over time it’s a fact that old
computers and consoles will become rarer and more uncommon as the years tick
by. Yes even all the abundant sun faded turd brown Super Nintendo’s you can
find for sale online will one day become a wild and not too often seen item,
more ripe chance for asshole sellers on eBay to charge through-the-arse prices
on the auction site no doubt. I already own two A1200 because one has a dodgy
expansion port and the other stopped outputting sound at one point, and add to
that a cassette player for the Spectrum that’s now just dead electronic weight.
It’s amazing that a lot of these computers and consoles are still going and we
can only do our best to preserve them while actively using them, so it’s sad to
think that one day, if these machines don’t re-enter production somehow
somewhere in the future, that emulation will be the only real way to experience
them, food for thought.

Saturday, 17 November 2012

This is a mod for the Dreamcast analog stick that I think is a must.
Have you ever been in the thick of the action on Ready 2 Rumble Boxing, Sega
Rally 2, Soul Calibur, or possibly running around Dobuita in Shenmue and found
your thumb slipping off the nub constantly? Well I have, and at times it can be
quite annoying to be honest. As much as I love the design and layout of the
Dreamcast controller, it’s the convex design of the analog nub, coupled with
the fact that Sega choose to use plastic instead of rubber that causes ones
thumb to always slip from its grip at the worst possible time. They did add
small dimples or dots of plastic to help your thumb grip, but it really doesn’t
help much, a rubber nub is what’s needed for maximum comfort and grip. So here
is a mod that might be small in nature, but adds so much to the overall
Dreamcast experience, enjoy Sega fans!

Saturday, 20 October 2012

If there was one thing that always bothered me about capturing
screenshots and video footage of games from various different consoles and
computers, it was just the sheer inconvenience of it all. With the need for
screenshots and video footage of a particular game very much a necessity, I was
always forced to laboriously disconnect a certain console or computer from its
life support and haul it from its favoured spot to the floor beneath the aging
behemoth that is my desktop PC. I would then have to connect it to the machine
via EzCAP (yes it really is spelt that way!?) and use Windows Movie Maker (WMM)
to capture the incoming video signal from whatever games machine I was playing
on. This was all very laborious and inconvenient, not to mention time consuming
in the extreme, complicated more by the fact that WMM would only let me view
the video signal being captured in the smallest of windows (the size of which
was unchangeable.) I also only had one double plug socket at my disposal which
was already being used by the PC, which meant using an extension cable. Once I
was done, I had the happy job of putting everything away afterwards, only to
repeat the whole process a day or two later.

Something clearly had to be done, something had to give way eventually,
and I could only hope that there was a much simpler way of capturing video
footage and screenshots from all my consoles and computers with minimal amount
of hassle. The biggest part of this for me was cutting out the need to use a PC
entirely from the equation altogether, and I was sure that a quick search of
Amazon would bring up a myriad of different devices for me to choose from. But
sadly I couldn’t have been more wrong.

At the time there was only one standalone box on the market that didn’t
require a PC to operate, and furthermore was specifically aimed at those who
wanted to capture video from games consoles. I was disappointed at the complete
lack of choice, and I found it rather perplexing that all the other
manufacturers who had various capturing devices in the same marketplace all
deemed it necessary to require a PC to function with their products. But
therein lies the problem for me, all the other products are essentially
dedicated external video cards, they are powerful which goes without saying,
but they are just the hardware component. The software side of things, where
you initiate the recording, processing and furthermore the storage of the
video/picture files happens on the PC end, so a PC is always needed in the
equation. What I wanted was an all-in-one external capturing device that was
the capturing card, storage and software all under one hood that was totally
independent of a PC and a self contained unit. I found what I was looking for
in the AverMedia Game Capture HD; it was exactly the all-in-one box I wanted,
though it wasn’t without a few small drawbacks.

The Game Capture HD is small and compact for what it is; it’s an
unobtrusive box that can be easily found a place between your favourite
consoles, as it’s almost half the height of a GameCube and only a few
centimetres bigger width wise. It essentially acts as a pass through box by
which the video output of a console is connected to the unit via a component
lead, with the output from the box connected to a TV via component cable as
well. The video signal from the console passes through the Game Capture HD
where it can be recorded and stored on its way to the TV, but best of all, and
most importantly, there are absolutely no lag or latency issues while you play,
and no impact to the video quality (depending on which mode the box is set to.)

The Game Capture HD has a compartment underneath it to fit a 2.5” SATA
hard drive, which you can add one anywhere up to 500GB in size (500GB
recommended by AverMedia,) or the unit has one USB port on the front if you
wish to use an external USB storage device. Be warned though, like any media
unit, if you do decide to fit a hdd internally, or use non-flash USB storage
externally, then it is recommended that you use one that runs as fast as
possible, preferably 7200rpm or above.

The unit has two buttons on the front, a power button and a record
button, which you can be used instead of the remote. The remote, like the unit,
is small and compact, but is essential as it is used not only to initiate the
unit and record function, but to set the video and picture (screenshot) quality
(of which there are three different levels of quality and compression to choose
from,) but to also jump between a full and minimal functionality mode. Full
functionality mode gives you access to all the menu and preview options while
you are playing a game, so you can play back what you have just recorded, or
mess with the quality and compression options. The only downside to this is
that full functionality does impact slightly on the video quality you see on
the TV, but only by a barely noticeable degree, and only on the real-time TV
image, this does not impact on the quality of the video being recorded. Minimal
functionality has no impact on the TV image and gives you a flawless picture
while you’re playing a game, but the menu and video/picture playback options
are not available, you are only able to use the record and stop function.

The quality of the screenshots and Video that the Game Capture HD
records really speaks for itself, on the best quality settings this device
records and captures some very high quality video and pictures. I have never
had any complaints about the quality of any video I have recorded, and I have
had nothing but a flawless user experience with this box. There are several
drawbacks to the Game Capture HD however that are worth taking into consideration
when buying one though, they are not show stoppers by any means, but rather
features that would only have complemented the device and make it a more
complete Game Capturing all-in-one box.

First off then, as you might have spotted already, this is a HD video
capture box, so it naturally captures video in HD quality. The initial firmware
out of the box (firmware version 1.5) will capture video in AVI, but as of the
latest firmware update (firmware version 2.0.6) it now captures video in MP4. I
have tested the quality of both video types from both firmware versions and
they are fantastic of course, and now that the system captures video in MP4 as
of the latest update the video is more compatible and friendly with video
editing software and other media playing devices.

The downside is that as a HD capturing device it only accepts component
HD video input, so in other words it only captures video from the current
generation of consoles (Xbox360/PS3/Wii,) or at least anything through a
component lead as low as 480i all the way up to 1080i at 50/60hz. The Game
Capture HD can also capture video from an Original Xbox if you have one, as
when used with a component lead and its HD video output enabled, games will run
at 480p and the odd few at 720p. The Game Capture HD does not have a composite
input so you’re really out of luck for older systems, which is a real shame for
anyone like me that has a variety of different systems and computers from
various decades past. Not being able to capture composite video signals is
somewhat of a disappointment and a missed opportunity by AverMedia to make this
box the all-in-one video capture box that any gamer could ever need. It also
means anyone whishing to capture composite video from older systems will need
to look elsewhere, and annoyingly find a place for another device.

Another drawback that I have come across is that this particular box
only accepts component, furthermore it only allows for one component input at a
time. This is also another missed opportunity, AverMedia could have at least
allowed for a HDMI input at the very least, which would allow for more than one
console to be hooked up at any given time, albeit by different input cable
types. Or they could have offered two HDMI inputs and a component as is the
standard on most HD devices these days. But truth is there was a lot more they
could have done really and as it stands, this oversight or lack of foresight
makes for a lot of unnecessary cable swapping that could have been avoided.

Another feature that the Game Capture HD lacks is the ability to adjust
the brightness and contrast of the video being recorded, and although it’s
nothing major, it should really have been a standard feature in the box’s
settings. While the box does record a crisp image that quality wise is great,
the video and the screenshots do turn out to be pretty dark compared to the
image being viewed on the TV. Whether AverMedia never thought to add brightness
and contrast settings, or whether they thought the user could adjust these in
game or even on the console end, who the hell knows? But the fact remains that
the video does turn out way too dark, and this is another thing that could have
easily been addressed, and it could still be addressed in a future firmware
update. The only way at the moment to remedy this is to post process the video
or screenshots via video editing software for the former (or Youtube if you
plan on uploading) and something like Paint.NET for the latter, all of which
will fix the brightness issues and make the image as it should be.

Otagi - Xbox - Post render using Paint.NET

Otagi - Xbox - Original Screenshot pre-render

It’s a shame that the Game Capture HD has the small issues that it has,
if AverMedia could only have gone that extra mile, it would make all other
capturing devices on the market worthless, it really could have been the all conquering
solution. But having said that using this all-in-one video capture box is a far
better solution to capturing current gen gaming footage in my opinion, as there
is nothing worse than having the major headache of setting up your console next
to the PC just to capture some video. What the Game Capture HD is in essence is
pure convenience as opposed to other devices that require a PC, which are quite
honestly the total opposite. The Game Capture HD is definitely worth purchasing
even with its small faults, and I am certainly happier and better off using it
over the cumbersome irritation of other devices period.

Thursday, 2 August 2012

Real Sound: Kaze No Regret is a Japanese game made for blind people, so
there are no visuals to speak of as the game is made entirely around sound,
kind of like an interactive audiobook. Made by WARP, the creators of D no Shokutaku
and EO (Enemy Zero,) this is without a doubt the most unique and interesting
game on the Sega Saturn. WARP were known for using sound as an important
mechanic in some of their games, so Real Sound seems like a natural fit for the
developer, and they also have the honour of being the first developer to create
one of the first ever games to be made for blind people which is still highly
sort after in Japan to this day.

Kenji Eno, WARPs founder and director decided to make Real Sound after
visiting visually impaired fans who had wrote to him about his games. Curious
as to how they were able to experience playing video games, Kenji went to visit
them and see for himself first hand how they were able to experience and enjoy
games. This inspired Kenji to make the game specifically for blind people,
where the game was based around sound and would give them the same experience
as those who weren’t blind. The game was a Sega Saturn exclusive and did
receive a re-release on the Dreamcast with some visuals, but the game was
essentially the same, and still one to be played by listening to the audio.

I wish I could tell you what the game is about, but I can’t, as to play
the game requires an understanding of Japanese, which sadly I do not possess.
But what I can say is that if you are studying Japanese, and are at an
intermediate to advanced stage of your learning of the language, then this game
is the perfect study aid. Most Japanese adventure games are a perfect way of
helping you learn and further your studies of Japanese, but none will ‘test
your metal’ as to just how much you have learned as Real Sound will, as without
any visuals to help you interpret what you don’t understand, you have nothing
to go on other than the audio itself.

Real Sound comes in a double Saturn case as the game is spread across
four disks, and comes in a plastic slip case, which has clouds pictured on it,
with the all important collectors spine card cased within it. The game has an
accompanying braille manual, a post card, and numerous other cards that have Japanese
on one side and pictures of cloud skylines on the other. What really makes the
game unusual from a collecting standpoint is that it comes with a packet of
herb seeds, that’s herbs as in the traditional garden or ‘kitchen’ herb, and
not the cannabis variety. I have tried in the past to find out what herb the
seeds are, but haven’t been able to find anything out, and although I know I
could just plant them and find out, I’d rather not open the packet and plant
them as this would make the game incomplete from a collectors standpoint. Some
might find this a really unusual thing to pack in with a game as an extra, and
it is, but for WARP its rather tame as a previous game, Short Warp, came
packaged with a condom amongst other things, so in light of this, its not that
outlandish.

Thursday, 26 July 2012

Traditionally if you have ever wanted to buy a gaming magazine of any
type, then it has always been a case of taking a walk down to the local news
agents or local branch of WHSmiths. No matter what home computer or console you
had, or even which video games company you sided with, they have always been
the preserve of retailers, all clumped together in one part of a shelf. Of
course there has been the option of a subscription if you felt a magazine was a
justifiable purchase every month, and you had a penchant for that particular
magazine, but the digital revolution means the whole landscape is changing
dramatically. Not only is the traditional form of print media under threat, but
also the very foundations of its distribution: no longer are gaming magazines
the preserve of the big companies rich enough to ensue such an endeavour and
consigned to a small elitist club, and no longer does a magazine have to be
printed in physical form or even distributed nationally by traditional means.

The rise of the internet has sparked a revolution in the sharing of
information and the form and type of journalism on offer, and this is no more
evident than in the gaming scene. Just scouring the world wide web on such an
entertaining pastime and your search engine is flooded with countless websites,
blogs, podcasts and much more, all talking about the gaming great and good.
This unbarred and unfettered immediate access to any and all information about
gaming, has caused a natural slump in the sales of traditional printed games
magazines, as the reasons for such a slump is as plain to see as the sky.
That’s not to say that things have slid so far down the garden path that
magazines in their natural guise have become unviable, or that they are about
to disappear off of store shelves and consigned to past memory’s with immediate
effect, there is still life in the old dog yet as the saying goes. But whether
you like it or not, the landscape has changed and is still evolving, with the
digital switch becoming more encompassing with each passing minute, it would
seem, at least to some, that the writing is on the wall as it were, but is it?

This hasn’t deterred some; rather the internet has given rise to an
opening in the gaming magazine market that in the past didn’t exist. While
magazines like Retro Gamer continue to thrive, catering to what is still seen by
some as a niche within gaming (that being retro gaming itself,) and with the
loyal support of its customers, it still follows the traditional route of print
media distributed to, and sold from newsagents across the land with
subscription as a substantial counterpart. It would also seem that finding a
niche can work to a magazines advantage, rather than becoming a hindrance as so
often thought, as it can be rather appealing and stand out in a cluttered
market. Others with a passion for retro gaming have formed their own small
teams and taken to creating their own retro games magazines, releasing and
sharing them on the net. If you can think of any old system from yesteryear
then the chances are there is a fan devoted PDF magazine created and available
for it somewhere on the internet. Some who haven’t sampled these would probably
argue that they can’t hope to match the quality and design of traditional big
publisher driven magazines, or even hope to have the in-depth scope and insider
information in their articles. But after reading plenty of them for myself, it
is quite honestly clear that such a conclusion is most definitely wrong. The
quality in design and layout of some of these magazines is actually substantially
high, as is the quality of the articles contained within, and these magazines
are a credit to all involved and the hard work put into them by all contributors.

Still, there was until recently, only one UK based magazine on the
market devoted to retro gaming (Retro Gamer Magazine) covering all formats, and
only one other magazine, a parent of Retro Gamer no less, that devotes a
section to retro gaming (Games TM). While there are other multi-format retro
gaming magazines, they remain locked in their digital form and remain solely on
the internet duo to the cost it would incur to get them into print. They are
also not regularly released like Retro Gamer and Games TM are, which are both
buy monthly’s, this is in part due to the very independent nature of these mags
and the much smaller teams involved in them.

But this is all hopefully set to change as a new independent magazine
has emerged onto the scene that hopes to fill the retro reading void on a quarterly
release bases and with the options of a printed and digital version of the mag
available for purchase. Pixel Nation is a new, fully independent Retro Games
magazine, with its first issue released to the world on March of this year and
is the brainchild of fellow gamers and retro collectors Steve Gauntly &
Keith Lutener. But there is more to Pixel Nation than meets the eye as it
shakes off some of the shekels of decade’s old tradition, and cleaves its
unique path in the games magazine market, forming its own original ideas and
quite unique concepts. I caught up with one of Pixel Nations founders Keith Lutener
to get some insight into the Magazine and explore its unique concepts and
ideas.

What is PN?

Pixel Nation is an independent retro game book
publishing company with a range of retro books and regular quarterly bookazine. We don’t have a board of shareholders or
upper management to report to, everything we do is for the love of retro
gaming.

Where did the idea for PN
come from & why did you decide to start it?I’ve been a big reader of the likes of Retro Gamer
for several years and throughout 2011, I’d been involved with NES-Bit.com. The
community grouped together to help create a magazine to help promote the site
to NES fans and it was a huge success. Shortly after the idea was born to try
other magazines and after a bit of brain storming Pixel Nation was formed.

How long did it take to go
from concept to launch?A few
months spent planning out how we could even tackle such a project, shortly
after which a website was built then tested.
In the end it must have been close to 7 months from start to the launch
of our first issue PN1.

What were the hardest parts
of PN to realise & what hurdles did you have to overcome to bring PN
together?The
hardest part involved contacting writers, designers and people from the
industry for interviews (such as Bob Wakelin). We pretty much came from nothing
and convincing people this was a project worth taking part in was always going
to be a struggle.

How many people are involved
in PN & are you looking for others to get involved?We are
growing bigger every issue! With 1 we had around 8 people involved including
writers, it’s just passed 15 for issue 2.
Always happy for others to join the team, we’d like to offer every
writer the opportunity to present their work to the retro community.

PN Issue 1 was released in
March, what has the reaction & feedback been like for the first issue?Overwhelmingly
positive, there was always the fear that people wouldn’t take to such a book.
It’s hard to judge how big the retro crowd actually is as we are all so
widespread, but everyone has really showed their support. We have listened to everyone’s suggestions
and the overall look and feel of PN2 will be very different, it should be
available by the time you read this!Is PN available in digital
& printed form & how much does it cost?The PDF
download of PN is £3.99 with it being £8.99 for the high gloss print
edition. We can’t say enough how
gorgeous the printed edition is, it’s a high quality glossy print in full
colour with a book covering. Looks
fantastic on a bookshelf by any retro collection!

Do you offer worldwide
shipping & if so how much does it cost?We offer
worldwide shipping at £3.99 for the US and all of Europe.

When do you plan on
releasing each subsequent issue?The
initial plan was for a quarterly release, roughly every 4 months but with the
current team and way things have gone, it offers the opportunity for a
Bi-monthly publication. A case of watch this space!

What can readers look
forward to seeing in issue 2?Just a
few tid bits, Steve Wozniak sat down with us and talked about his early days of
Apple and the programming language that started it all, in some detail too,
this is a huge plus for us. Next up is the guy behind the C64 classic Alter
Ego, Peter Favoro, who goes into detail about what was involved making the
game. A look at Touhou shooters, a
feature on Final Fantasy VII and even a special glimpse at Atari Japan, a side
of the history I can guarantee you won't have read or seen before. We have done
our best to try and gather as many industry interviews as possible this issue
and the book is packed full with content.

What improvements, based on
reader feedback, have you made in issue 2?One of
the main ideas for Pixel Nation is to offer readers the chance to comment and
suggest what they would like to see. With this in mind we have listened to a
lot of feedback about general issue design, even taking on some professional
designer comments. I’m hoping people will see just how well the new issue is
streamlined to a professional appearance yet still maintaining that retro feel.

What is your vision, aims
& goals for the future of PN?Beyond the draw of the main quarterly bookazine
the main goal is to eventually offer a central retro hub. A place where people
can pick up professional publications mixed in with the work of people of the
retro community. U-Publish is a big part
of our site where everyone can download books/magazines produced off site.

Pixel Nation Issue 1

The first PN mag is quite the debut it must be said, as the design,
layout and writing contained within it are of a really high standard for such a
small independent mag just blossoming into the retro gaming world. Its fair to say that PN is a bookzine rather
than a magazine, and its easy to see why, its size is A5 rather than the
typical A4, something which sets it apart from other publications from the
start, this makes it easier to take on your travels for reading on the go as
well as making it easier to store around the home. PN also uses thicker paper
with a higher gloss to it than anything you’ll find in any typical mag, giving
it that extra added touch of quality for your moneys worth, this is another
nice touch that I like that adds to the overall special feel and unique nature
of the bookzine.

The first issue has quite a varied range of articles that should keep
any retro fan enthused, spread over a hundred pages, with a diverse range as
interviews with Cynthia Preston and Jonathan Potts about their voice roles in
the Zelda cartoon to a look at games such as Nights into Dreams and Outrun. I
really cant do the diverse nature of the content within PN issue 1 any justice
here as there is far too much interesting stuff contained within, so be sure to
check the links below to take you through to each issues contents page at the
PN website, this will give you a full run down of the contents as well as some
pictures of the mag.

Pixel Nation Issue 1

If I had to pick out some of my favourite articles in issue 1, it would
have to be Revival of the 2D Platformer and Confessions of a Girl Gamer. The
first article looks at what made platformers so popular and appealing back in
the old 8/16-bit days and how we are starting to see this once loved genre,
that seemed to almost disappear, make a much welcomed comeback. This is
something particularly close to my heart as I played so many great games in the
genre back in the day, and as it’s a genre that I have rediscovered over the
past year both in retro games as well as in the current generation of consoles.
The second article particularly stood out for me as I found the writers perspective on the male dominated
world of gaming and her view point on some of gaming’s most iconic heroin’s,
such as Lara Croft, a very interesting read.

One of the points the guys at PN have been keen to get across to its
readers is that it’s a mag that will be guided and driven forward by the
readers, and they are keen to hear any and all feedback on the bookzine that
will help them build upon what has been accomplished each issue, and how they
can make PN better with each subsequent release. Without the feedback from its
readership they can’t gauge what readers like/dislike and would like to see
introduced into the publication. With the recent release of issue 2, and after
reading much of the feedback for myself first hand, it’s clear to see when
flicking through the new copy that reader’s feedback has been instrumental in
making the second issue better. The font used and its size is now more uniform
throughout the bookzine with a better use of alignment and margins, this has
given PN a more unified and integrated feeling throughout as you go from one
article to the other. The use of pictures and artwork (essential to any
publication of its type) has been altered as some of the feedback was that the
use of them was taking president over the writing itself in the first issue.
The team has sort to address this imbalance and find some middle ground between
the writing, artwork and screenshots. PN’s layout and design certainly looks
cleaner and less overbearing than in the first issue, though as many designers
know, this is a fine art, so this is an area that will most certainly be
closely refined with each issue.

Pixel Nation Issue 2

Issue 2 sees the conclusion (parts 2) of Confessions of A Girl Gamer and
the Amiga 1200 look back articles as well as The Shadow Of The Beast interview,
the first part in issue 1 being with Martin Edmondson and this conclusive part
in issue 2 being with Tim Wright. I really liked the way both parts of the interviews
were done, rather than being with all one person for both, they offered two
perspectives behind different parts of the games in each issue. Atari in Japan
article offered a different look at what the company was up to in Japan, something
not often talked about, as well as an interesting look at the legendary Atari
Panther console. There is also a really in depth look at Touhou (bullet hell
shmup’s) as well Bubble Bobble and the Dizzy series and much more besides, so
there is quite the varied range and enough to wet any retro gamers appetite.
One thing I really like and I hope that PN can continue, is with interviews and
articles about composers and musicians that produced the music scores of some
of our much loved games. Issue 1 has a small article on Koji Kondo while issue
2 has interviews with Philippe Vachey and Tim Wright respectively, this is a
much welcomed step in my humble opinion as those who created the music for many
classic games are not celebrated enough. So well done to the PN team in bringing
these interviews and articles to the fore and lets see them continue to flow
into future issues.

Another part of Pixel Nation that’s unique in itself is the U-Publish
area of the website; this area is dedicated to anyone who wants to publish their
retro books and or magazines on the site. The idea behind it is to make
U-Publish the ‘go-to’ place for retro gaming publications, where you can go to
download, buy and discover new work all from one central location, rather than
numerous ones that are spread-out and hidden away in undiscovered corners of
the internet. It’s a fantastic idea, yet a very simple one with a potentially
huge impact and it begs belief that nobody has hit upon this idea earlier. With
the PN bookzine being the primary focus and drive of the site, this section
makes a lot of sense, and shows that the guys behind PN have a true passion for
gaming and the scene that goes hand in hand with it. Keith was keen to point
out that those who decide to purchase PN have a keen interest in the subject,
so its readers might like to read further works on the subject of retro gaming,
and so PN can help people discover works by other writers. It’s this kind of
selfless act and drive to help connect the dispersed parts of the scene and try
to bring them together under one roof that really sets Pixel Nation apart, so I
decided to question Keith some more about U-Publish.

You have another part to the
PN website called U-Publish, what is U-Publish?

It’s a
means for everyone to have a central location where they can download or
purchase other authors retro gaming books/magazines.

Where did the idea of U-Publish
come from?Whilst
producing NES-Bit Magazine System (which has 2 issues now available on
U-Publish) the biggest hurdle was actually letting people know it existed. Even
visiting various forums, news sites and blogs could only offer so many views.
People just didn’t know it existed and that’s when the idea for U-Publish was
born. The thinking was to offer a single location where readers could download
or see the latest retro pieces without having to rely on luck that they came
across it. The best part of having them
all in one place is that people can discover entirely new work as well without
much effort. Plus it can help give a boost to other sites as Pixel Nation advertises
in numerous places with regular updates, effectively giving authors a chance to
share our visitors.

How many books/magazines are
currently available on U-Publish?We have 16 at the moment with a few more in the
wings, books like Pixellation and the Retrocade magazines are very popular.

Can anyone submit their work
to be published on U-Publish & are there any specific criteria that
need to be met to do so?As long
as it’s not written on Post It notes we pretty much consider everything
submitted. We full push everything on the U-Publish side with our Twitter,
Facebook and forum so there’s always a form of advertising in the background. We can even design a cover for authors if
they feel their skill is only in writing, but we do like to specialise in
smaller PDF gaming books. We currently have an author working on a 20’000 word
book for U-Publish based around the Touhou series (bullet hell style shoot ‘em
ups), this will be fully designed by ourselves as part of the U-Pub service.

What publishing options do
you offer & how do they work?With printing our own quarterly bookazine we
have access to a large print company at trade prices. This means we can place
orders for smaller book runs which don’t cost heaven and earth (like the big
publishers insist on). The first choice
we offer for all is a downloadable PDF copy which can be offered for free or at
a cost suited to the author. If an
author would like to see their work in print we operate a pre-order system,
once a small number has been received then the print job can go ahead. We feel it gives everyone a fair chance to
gain something from their work and our rates are well below the industry
standard!

Pixel Nation issue 1 & 2 are out now and can be purchased from the
Pixel Nation website, and both are available for world wide shipping. If you
have any questions then don’t hesitate to send them through to the PN team as
they are happy to answer any inquires.

If you have a skill that you think PN might be in need of, whether it is
writing articles, design, proof reading, or any other help you might like to
offer the PN team then head over to their website and drop them an email.
Further to that if you have a retro gaming magazine or book you would like to
make available through the U-Publish service then don’t hesitate to contact the
team as they are keen to hear from anyone who would like to publish their work.

Wednesday, 11 July 2012

Tin Toy Adventure was released in 1996 for the Amiga, so it was released
quite late in the day, and by that time all but the most hardy and dedicated of
the Amiga hardcore were still enjoying the fruits the system was able to offer
up. So as you would expect with such a late Amiga game it’s an AGA (Advance
Graphics Architecture) title, and honestly it really shows.

This game has some beautiful looking graphics that are well drawn, well
animated, with plenty of parallax scrolling. But what really shows off that
this is an AGA game more than anything else is the sheer amount of colours
displayed on screen; the game is very colourful with a diverse range on screen
all throughout each level. The only other AGA title that I have come across
that can match and equal this game in its graphical detail and amount of
colours on screen is Simon the Sorcerer.

Tin Toy Adventure is toy themed with each stage taking part in a
different stage of a house, and each being differently themed in terms of
design to coincide with each different room. Each stage consists of three
levels with a boss fight at the end. The levels are well designed with
interesting layouts and a good use of imagination for each one, but what really
becomes obvious about the game is the fact that it is a tough platformer, and
as a player you really have to know the levels inside and out if you want any
hope of reaching the next level.

The difficulty of the game is perhaps the most addictive thing about it,
as the incentive to keep playing is the sheer sense of satisfaction you will be
rewarded with when you have managed to get to that next level. The difficulty
is quite reminiscent of a lot of the old 8-bit home computer games of the 80s,
yet the game isn’t infuriating and impossible to complete like those games of
old.

You have quite a few different abilities at your disposal, you can jump
on enemies to kill them, though they will take quite a few hits, which is
something that will steadily increases the further you progress through the
game as enemies get tougher to eliminate. Pressing down on the d-pad will
scroll through a number of different abilities, that when selected will only
last several short seconds, but can be more than useful when faced with a tough
part of a level. You can select a tornado, and much like Taz from Taz-mania, it lets you wiz
around the level really fast, knocking out enemies as you go. There is a power
that inflates your characters body which will let you float above the level for
a short distance, but the drawback of this is that when the ability wares off
it can easily drop you onto spikes and enemies. There is even a magical top hat
that will appear and walk in front of your character, knocking out any enemies
that get in its way and it also doubles as a platform for you to access those
hard to reach areas.

Overall I honestly think that this game is a little jewel in the crown
of the Amiga’s library, it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea due to the steep
difficulty level, but it is certainly a top quality title high up there with
the Turrican series, Fire & Ice, James Pond, Super Frog et al. To me this
is a platformer that managed to stand out from the crowd of 90s platformers,
yet I reserved judgement until I had played the game proper, and it turned out
to be an amazingly addictive and fun game, but don’t take my word for it, go
and play Tin Toy Adventure.

Saturday, 30 June 2012

The 16-bit Sonic games are held up as some of the finest platformers the
16-bit era had to offer, and I would totally agree with that, the games are
fantastic, graphically a visual treat, with a cool mascot, well designed levels
and fast paced and engrossing gameplay. Though I don’t doubt there are those
out there that don’t like the Sonic games for one reason or another, which is
fair enough, but it can be said that they (Sega) certainly hit the right spot
with the games at the time. As I remember back to my youthful days, Sega’s
mascot was never far from people’s lips whenever the Mega Drive (MD) was
mentioned, and there were few who hadn’t experienced the Sonic games first
hand. But I never knew at the time how Sonic came to be, I never knew why he
was created, or the pretext for his creation? But nor did I care, or even care
to think about such things, though I find it really fascinating now.

The fact that his existence is tied to that of Nintendo and Mario, and
that without them and their success, Sonic would have been a proverbial no show
is something that just makes me wonder, would Alex the Kid still be Sega’s
unofficial mascot? Well doesn’t bother me so much as I like the Alex the Kidd
games ‘he says in a quiet hushed whisper,’ though it would be a loss for gaming
without Sega’s cool blue blur. But for a corporate mascot created by designer
Naoto Oshima, to become such an icon of cool to so many, when he created Sonic
in response to Sega’s management challenge to its designers to create a rival
to equal and top that of Mario, is some feat by everyone involved in bringing
the games and the hedgehog to life. Sonic was the perfect corporate construct,
created as a response to its rival, and to serve the companys specific aims of
having its own recognisable mascot to associate with its brand, its own must
have platformer, and to drive the MD forward being its killer title. How they
pulled this off and made all the elements work and feel natural, instead of
forced and artificial has to be one of the biggest marketing achievements in
gaming and popular culture history, as Sonic and the games he appeared in
become seamlessly woven into the fabric of 90’s brilliance. The corporateness
of Sonic and the way in which he came to exist is not in anyway demeaning, nor
does it make him a shallow corporate construct, but rather shows how a company
and those within it can produce something with passion and meaning, that in
turn brought joy and happiness to the lives of many millions across time and
continents.

I consider myself privileged to have been a youthful kid during late
80’s and early to mid 90’s, oblivious to the wider world and its intrusive
problems and only concerned with my own immediate small part of it, hell, even
the late 90’s was a pretty great time long since gone. The 8-bit and 16-bit era
was the special time period in gaming for me, I got to experience a lot of
games, few were easy, and many were hard. Sonic managed to captivate me in the
early 90’s, he and his games stood out amongst the crowed of titles I had
played before he swept me off of my feet, maybe some would say I just hadn’t
played the right games before then, but I wouldn’t say so. Nothing said cool like
Sonic did to me and my friends and no other platform games bar Earthworm Jim managed
to come even remotely close. Nobody on the playground of petty school arguments
and whimsical fallings out would dare argue differently, no not in my school,
not for fear of ridicule and mockery, bullying or of being outcast, but because
everyone thought the same. Sonic and all of his MD games were cool, they were
the best platformers, it was an unspoken, unwritten law, Sonic was ‘in,’ and we
all damn well knew it! Even those of us that owned Nintendo systems, myself
included, and even those that didn’t own anything Sega, and yes, even those
that owned home computers, all at the time, at least at my School, knew Sonic
wasn’t a cheap trick fad, we all knew the Sonic games were a must play must own
experience not to be missed out on.

I never owned a MD at the time, but that didn’t stop me from
experiencing what the console had to offer, thanks in no small part to my
friend and his deep cash filled pockets that kept a constant stream of games
flowing his way. I was always around his house playing on the latest game he
had acquired, and he would do the same when I got a SNES. In those early days,
you experienced other platforms and different types of games through your
friends, as next to no one had the luxury of owning multiple systems of that particular
generation, as is now the norm these days. So it was at my friends house that I
first played Sonic 1, and I honestly couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing,
the levels were so detailed, filled with vibrant bright colours, tons of
enemies, with different routes Sonic could traverse through the levels, and it
was all seamlessly fast paced with some excellent sound. My friend was pretty
smug in the fact he owned Sonic the Hedgehog, and a MD for that matter,
especially now he had a game that finally showed off just what the console
could do and what Sega represented. All I could think while watching him play
the game was when is he going to shut up talking and give me the bloody controller,
it was a joyous mesmerising thing to watch the game run, but I couldn’t have
snatched the controller from his hands fast enough when he decided it was
finally my turn. So that’s how I got to experience Sonic for the first time and
was able to join in with the growing banter at school about each game, and how
I managed to become acutely familiar with the 16-bit versions of Sonic 1 &
2 over time. I never got the chance to play Sonic 3, which was one game that
managed to escape me, although I do remember my friend having it in his
possession. However I was fortunate at some point to play a considerable amount
of Sonic & Knuckles, though it was only for a brief period and never long
enough to work up an affinity with the title like the first two.

But I have a confession to make,
and its one that’s quite niche and controversial that when uttered, would
either make you laugh and point, thinking I’m some kind of crazy, or reach for
the nearest pitchfork and quick dial for the inquisition to sentence me for my heresy.
Although I became very familiar with the MD versions of Sonic 1 & 2, and
the MD version of Sonic the Hedgehog being my revolutionary experience of that
title, introduction to the series, Sonic and helped cement Sega as the
definition of ultimate cool in my mind. The truth of the matter is all these
years I have had to keep this under wraps, for fear of ridicule and rejection
and the lack of others willingness to understand from my point of view. I
actually prefer the Master System (MS) version of Sonic the Hedgehog over the
MD version any day of the year, and as much as I had a rocky love/hate
relationship with the 8-bit Sonic 2 because of its steep difficulty level,
again, I still prefer that version over the 16-bit one. I’m sure any Sonic and
Sega fan will probably be shocked at the mere thought of this, and most within
the mainstream would have me down as a nutter for choosing what some would see
as the lesser games over the obvious (in their eyes) superior ones.

Maybe it’s just me, who knows? Because I have never found another
kindred soul that has felt the same way about the MS Sonic titles, but then I
have never had cause to mention the fact either, or had the strength and willingness
to. I came close once, i told the very same friend who had introduced me to
Sonic that although I had a SNES (at that point in time,) I still loved playing
on the MS and would never get rid of it because I had too many awesome games on
it that the SNES didn’t have, and quite frankly couldn’t beat in terms of
playability, like Operation Wolf for example. Well that didn’t go down well, as
he laughed and joked at my expense all the way to the shops about it, ‘the MS,’
he scoffed, ‘the MD and SNES have far better graphics, and the games are better
than anything on the MS,’ he continued, so I knew then that there was no point
in trying to continue with that argument.

In the early 90’s when a scuffle broke out between friends on a certain matter,
it would then lead the issue to be taken directly to the ‘higher ups,’ as was
the customary law of the playground. The ‘higher ups’ were a handful of your
most popular friends within your circle who would form a small group, or
council to settle delicate matters like this. Each party in question would
argue the finer points of their cause, once they (the council) ruled on a
matter, whatever it was about, it was passed into law and everything was
considered settled, even if later they were proved wrong. Go against their
ruling and you were punished by being outcast for a certain length of time,
destined to wonder the school yard alone, I was witness to this form of justice
countless times over, and it was never easy to accept, I think everyone had to suffer
it at least once or twice as the years rolled by. It all might seem very harsh
and Lord of The Flies now, but this was serious stuff to the young generation
of the 90’s. So I couldn’t continue to champion the MS before my friend, and
had to bite my tongue on my thoughts about which versions of Sonic I preferred,
if I had persisted, he would have brought the debate before the council, and I
had the overwhelming feeling I wouldn’t win them over to my train of thought on
account that they all owned either a MD or SNES.

Sonic The Hedgehog - Master System

The MS version of Sonic the Hedgehog is quite different to the MD
version, it doesn’t tranquilize a player with detailed fancy graphics in the
way that only the MD could, nor could the developer have Sonic move through
levels at the same speed or populate them with as many enemies. A different
approach was needed, one that suited the 8-bit hardware and built upon its
strengths and weaknesses and formed its own unique experience, rather than
being a poor cut down one to fit the MS.

The 8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog wasn’t a compromise or a cut n’ shut, it
was crafted into its own compelling game, but borrowing certain key elements
from the 16-bit version: such as having three acts in each zone, collecting
over fifty rings to reach a special stage, and generally keeping most basic elements
that were present in the MD version that would become the signature attributes
of the Sonic franchise. But while the gameplay was from the same gene pool, it
had its own feel and construct to it, with the level design tailored to suit
this different approach to the gameplay. The MS version was about precise
platforming at its heart: with Sonic’s movement slower and more carefully
planned across levels, simple yet challenging level design, with carefully
timed jumps needed, strategically placed enemies, and a good balance of
difficulty. Mistime a jump or falter at killing a well placed enemy and Sonic
will either loose his rings (which cant be re-collected,) or his life, carful
yet meticulous precision in manoeuvring Sonic about each stage is what will see
you through to the end of the game. This is a title where the layout of each
stage and the position of all dangers within it need to be memorized, as the
game has some strategically placed enemy’s, spikes and bottomless pits. Some enemy’s
can appear on screen pretty fast, sometimes just where your expected to be jumping,
as if the developers designed stages with cause and effect in mind, knowing
that if they designed them in a certain way, it would force any new player unfamiliar
to the game to jump into harms way, crafty and clever as hell!

The special stages are much different to, rather than being a place to
obtain a crystal, they alternatively served as a place which allowed the player
the chance to gain a continue (which are needed to see you through the game) by
destroying a TV. These are always positioned in an awkward spot between or by obstacles
that repel Sonic away if touched slightly. A time limit coupled with more
infuriating level design always made for some pretty tense, if not rage
inducing punch the TV screen moments, as Sonic not only had to destroy the TV
to get the continue, but then navigate further through the level to the
finishing TV panel at the end.

There are rings in the game to act as a barrier between Sonic and his
death, as well as act as an added challenge for the player to either obtain an
extra life by reaching a hundred rings or anywhere over fifty to be granted
access to the special stage. There are also springs doted throughout the game,
but instead of these being used in such a way as to help drive the momentum of
Sonic through a stage and keep his speed up, the MS version uses them merely as
a tool to reach rings that would otherwise be out of reach, or to gain access
to another part of a stage. If you do get hit by another enemy of jump on a
spike, then you will loose all the rings you have collected as they don’t spill
out of Sonic for the player to re-collect them like in the MD version, this
adds more tension to the game and causes the player to be more carful.

Sonic himself is also well designed and well animated for his 8-bit outing;
his proportions are well balanced against the enemies in the game as well as
against the levels in general. His features and shape are sharp, clear and easy
to pick out, with his blue spikes flapping in the wind as he runs and his
impatient tapping of his foot if you leave him idly standing.

There is a lot more that I could say about this MS Sonic game, about how
well designed the levels truly are (Jungle Zone being my particular favourite,)
about how each crystal is craftily hidden away in an act within each one of the
zones, and more besides. But the proof as to really how good this Sonic game
is, and the subsequent MS sequels for that matter, is really in the pudding as
it were. The MS Sonic games as a whole are a true testament to the platforming
genre and how to make a popular game series transition from a powerful piece of
hardware to one less powerful. Yet, in doing so, keep all the key signature
elements associated with the games and craft new titles that can stand on their
own without being cheap cut-down limiting versions best consigned to the past.

It’s a real shame that when everyone reminisces about the good old days
of Sonic, it’s always without fail about the MD and Dreamcast titles, which is
no bad thing, but Sonic appeared in far more great games on other systems than
just them two in particular. I for one would like to see a retro compilation
from Sega which consists of all the other Sonic titles made since his
inception, with the MS games at the forefront of such an endeavour. These games
are too hidden away and forgotten for my liking, they need to be brought back
from the doldrums and into the open so everyone with a penchant for the mighty
blue blur can experience just how damn good all his other platform games are.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Developer – Aspect

Release – 1992

System – Master System/Game Gear

Sonic 1 on the MS set a pretty high benchmark for the series on the
system as the blue blurs debut was a pretty superb one that set the standard
pretty high for any and all sequels, let alone any other subsequent platformer
on the system. But Sonic 2 managed to take everything that was great and
perfect and improve upon it in all areas, that is accept for the games balance
in difficulty, which for this outing was made more difficult, especially in
certain stages such as Aqua Lake act 2.

The graphics were slightly improved, not so much that they were a world
apart from Sonic 1, but they were just noticeably better with a smidgen more
detail and colour. Sonic himself looked pretty much the same, though subtle improvements
like adding his trademark red and white shoes which wasn’t present in the first
game made for a nice touch.

Add the fact that the level design was much better with more intricate
stages in certain zones, the ability to collect back lost rings, vastly
improved tunes that are far more memorable and catchy, as well as the addition
of the hang glider and mine cart and what you have is one hell of a sequel.

The only downsides to the game is the lack of the spin-dash, but then
the game was released before the MD version so its absence is understandable,
and the increase in difficulty rather than a more even balance, but otherwise
what’s not to like about this game.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Chaos

Developer – Aspect

Release – 1993

System – Master System/Game Gear

Also known as Sonic Chaos in the US and Sonic & Tails in Japan, this
is the third Sonic game to be released on the MS, and you would naturally
assume that if Sonic 2 managed to continue the high standards of the first
8-bit Sonic game as well as improve upon it, then Chaos should have reached a
higher level of tailored perfection. Unfortunately this game lacks the high
standards set by the previous two games as it seems to be a poor reworked game
from the ground up, instead of taking the game and graphical engine and trying
to make subtle tweaks and improvements with better music and level design.

The graphics seem to have taken a significant hit, the game doesn’t look
as good as Sonic 2 with a real lack of subtle detail that was brought into the
previous game, though at times the visuals do look pretty interesting in some
stages. Sonic seems to have been redesigned, looking far worse with terrible
animation as well as his proportions looking out of sync against the levels.

The crystals now have to be collected in the special stages instead of
hidden throughout the levels, which takes away from the replayability aspect of
the game and the element of discovery. Its also harder to reach the special
stages as you now have to collect a hundred rings as opposed to over fifty, and
with the sharpest of difficulty of all the games, a real understanding of each
level is a must if you ever hope to reach those special stages and collect all
the crystals.

The game does have a few saving graces, such as introducing Tails as a
playable character for the first time on the 8-bit games (though he did make a
small appearance for the first time in Sonic 2) as well as introducing Sonics
spin-dash. The Special stages are also different and varied with each one
different from the other and testing your various platform skills to obtain the
crystals.

On the
whole this is the worst of the three, yet it should have been the best, it’s a bit
of a let-down after the other games were so damn good, though does have some
more unique elements to it, but don’t be surprised if you don’t find yourself
going back for more.

Sonic Blast

Developer – Aspect

Release – 1996 Game Gear/1997 Master
System

While Sonic Blast was first and foremost made for the Game Gear, and is
essentially a Game Gear release, it did eventually receive a MS release in
Brazil only by TecToy in 1997, and it’s quite unique enough to be featured
here.

The game is perhaps one of the most visually accomplished of any 8-bit
game released as it sports pre-rendered graphics, quite an accomplishment for
an 8-bit system, though its perhaps fair to say that the visuals would have
been better suited to any other game or series other than Sonic The Hedgehog.
Some stages don’t look all that amazing while others do; it’s quite the mixed
bag, with some looking quite bland and uninspiring, and at times lacking the
detail of previous 8-bit Sonic games. While you will wonder if some of the
stages have benefited from pre-rendering at all, Sonic and the enemy sprites on
the other hand are clearly quite detailed and accomplished, with some excellent
animation, though they do look somewhat out of proportion set against the
backdrop of the levels.

Gameplay wise it’s the usual Sonic fair, but without the high polish and
shine of previous titles, in fact this is perhaps the worst Sonic game pre
Sonic Heroes in terms of gameplay as its lacking the magic that keeps a player
going back for more. The stages are simple and uninspiring, the controls are
ropy and there are simply better platformers out there, the inclusion of
Knuckles as a playable character and pre-rendered graphics do little to save
the game in the face of poor gameplay.